At the Border of Normal: My Story of God

Years before the cancer spread, Lisa Jackinsky’s oncologist said to her, ＂You are at the border of normal.＂ In fact, ＂at the border of normal＂ had been her whole life. Jackinsky grew up in rural Alaska, the daughter of a salmon fisherman and an intrepid pioneer, and traveled the world, visiting sixty-four countries, to support those in poverty. When cancer showed its face, for over two decades, she increasingly sought a life surrendered to God. Lisa Jackinsky’s At the Border of Normal is both a memoir and allegorical in nature; this is the story of someone whose life hasn’t followed the traditional path, alluding to her personal, lived spiritual journey through each season and trial. How she saw God and experienced and responded to him slowly changed as God transformed her over her lifetime, with each chapter of her life building on the one that came before it. Written from the perspective of someone whose cancer has spread to their bones, liver, and lungs, this novel is interspersed with real events based on Jackinsky’s own Christian spiritual journey. Jackinsky has come to know the goodness of God and recognize the wonderful grace he imparts to his children. It is her hope that her story encourages you in recognizing and responding to the ongoing grace and goodness of God in your story. Lisa Jackinsky was born and raised in rural Alaska. Her passion to help people living in poverty provide for their families took her around the world in her work with World Vision. Her desire for others to know God more deeply led her to become a spiritual director. God continues to shape her through prayer and Scripture, loved ones and community, service and surrender, blessing and suffering, and through all of life.